1) Please tell us which Mac you have.. there are lots of them.
2) Please post which version of OS X you have.. there are lots of them.
3) Please post the /Library/Logs/panic.log (if you can get to it).
4) Unplug all peripherals from your computer, except keyboard, mouse, monitor and then try booting.
5) Did you install any software or hardware before having this problem?

FYI, for future ref, it's a kernel panic (don't worry, tons of folks make this mistake)

If it's possible to back up any important data and, if applicable, de-authorize your iMac, I'd strongly recommend doing those things. Since - if the mac in question is the iMac in your signature - the system's less than a year old, it's still under warranty. Possibly unplugging everything else and removing extra RAM will lead you to what was causing the problem, but, if not, I'd be prepared for a real failure by making sure I'd gotten everything backed up. Apple might send you replacement hardware, they might have you send in the iMac, etc., but, in any event, you'll want to have it backed up and de-authorized from iTMS.

1) Please tell us which Mac you have.. there are lots of them. imac g5
2) Please post which version of OS X you have.. there are lots of them. I did a clean install of Tiger a few weeks ago
3) Please post the /Library/Logs/panic.log (if you can get to it). I can't get myself past the restart screen
4) Unplug all peripherals from your computer, except keyboard, mouse, monitor and then try booting. Did that, still getting the restart screen
5) Did you install any software or hardware before having this problem? Nope...I was gone all day, came home and went to wake up the computer, it restarted and gave me the kernel screen. I had noticed a couple times though that I'd try to wake it up from being idle and it would completely restart.

After I try to restart it and the Restart window comes back on, about 30 seconds later the fans start spinning like crazy, could this mean something?

Thanks for the help guys, I'm really at a loss....I've never had a problem before, hopefully these answers will help to find a solution that I'm not aware of.

I'm not worried about my stuff thats saved - everything of any importance is backed up.

If I take it in to the Apple store can they help me? Hopefully I'm not completely screwed

allison.

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EDIT: The other thing I was thinkning you could try is to boot with the comd+option key held down (maybe just cmd key held down) this gives a list of bootable volumes... at least this will ID the HD and CD if on is in the drive ... if it sees thosem, then it will point to the SW vs HW problem if this does not work.... off to apple store you go...)

SW problem=good HW problem=bad

Hi Allison -

I had that problem with my 10.3 OS disc NOT supporting my 6800 card... (if you sig is right this is not your problem)... but my point... at the Apple Store, they booted from a small firewire drive - did disc repair and probem solved. Took all of 5 minutes - and I was luggin in my 2.5....

In fact I bought an external FW drive on my way out....maybe is this Stevie J's sick and twisted way to 'up-sell'

This probably does not help much other than making you feel good about a trip to the Genius Bar for a drink! Keep us posted!

EDIT: The other thing I was thinkning you could try is to boot with the comd+option key held down (maybe just cmd key held down) this gives a list of bootable volumes... at least this will ID the HD and CD if on is in the drive ... if it sees thosem, then it will point to the SW vs HW problem if this does not work.... off to apple store you go...)

Click to expand...

It's actually the Option key on startup. After it detects everything (can take a long while) it enables the mouse so you can click on your startup volume and then click on the "-->" button. Isn't Open Firmware great?

It's actually the Option key on startup. After it detects everything (can take a long while) it enables the mouse so you can click on your startup volume and then click on the "-->" button. Isn't Open Firmware great?

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Well I did that...clicked on my volume and then onto the arrow button, but it went back to what I assume was supposed to be the restart screen again, except there were lines all over everything and it wasn't really legible - like the screen messed up or something.... looks like i'm off to the Apple store in the morning, luckily there is one close by.

One more quick thing - what should I take with me when I go to the store? Is it necessary to pack up all my paperwork/keyboard/mouse/etc. into the box? Or would it be okay to just take the actual machine in?

One more quick thing - what should I take with me when I go to the store? Is it necessary to pack up all my paperwork/keyboard/mouse/etc. into the box? Or would it be okay to just take the actual machine in?

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The computer itself, and the paperwork for it. They have keyboards and mice there. Now, if the problem stops when you get there, you know that it is your keyboard and mouse, but the chances of that are pretty low, so I would just bring the box and the paperwork.

If you want and it isn't an inconvenience you can bring your keyboard and mouse. Worst case is they say, "Next time you don't need to bring it."

Heck, if they break 'em, you get new free ones! That's a good thing to consider....

Hey, I don't know if you know UNIX or not but this is something you can do right now without really knowing what you're doing. If you hold down Command-S at startup it should bring you into super-user UNIX mode. Once you're in there, you can type fsck and press return, and it should scan your disk for anything OSX can internally fix. When it looks like the scan is complete, you can type exit and press return. Hopefully your mac will start to boot. This is all you have to do and it might fix your problem.

If it doesn't, there are other options other than taking it into the Apple Store. If you can, pick up a copy of Disk Warrior, and Tech Tool Pro and run either, preferrably both. Disk Warrior will fix any software hard drive problems and Tech Tool will fix other software problems and even diagnose some hardware problems. It seems like you know what you're doing, you should get your hands on these. I know I use them at least once every two months and every time it helps me and my friends with Macs out of situations like that.

Hey, I don't know if you know UNIX or not but this is something you can do right now without really knowing what you're doing. If you hold down Command-S at startup it should bring you into super-user UNIX mode. Once you're in there, you can type fsck and press return, and it should scan your disk for anything OSX can internally fix. When it looks like the scan is complete, you can type exit and press return. Hopefully your mac will start to boot. This is all you have to do and it might fix your problem.

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That's Single-User mode. And there is an easier way...
...start off of your most recent OS X installation disk (make sure it is known-good) and go to the Installer->Disk Utility application. Choose your disk (top, not volume which is bottom and indented). Choose First Aid and then choose Repair Disk. Hazzah!

That's Single-User mode. And there is an easier way...
...start off of your most recent OS X installation disk (make sure it is known-good) and go to the Installer->Disk Utility application. Choose your disk (top, not volume which is bottom and indented). Choose First Aid and then choose Repair Disk. Hazzah!

Call Apple or bring it to an Apple Store. It sounds like you've done absolutely everything you could be expected to do, and your Mac is still under warranty. If possible, if they end up swapping it (unlikely) or changing the motherboard (possible), ask them to de-authorize iTMS (if you use it) to spare you the grief of dealing with iTMS customer service.

That's Single-User mode. And there is an easier way...
...start off of your most recent OS X installation disk (make sure it is known-good) and go to the Installer->Disk Utility application. Choose your disk (top, not volume which is bottom and indented). Choose First Aid and then choose Repair Disk. Hazzah!

So I just got back from the Genius Bar. The Apple tech guy wasn't able to get any farther than I did, but said the logic board would most likely be replaced as well as the video card (at one point we got some pinstripes on the screen). So if all goes well I'll have my machine back in 5-10 business days. I asked him if he'd seen this type of problem in a g5 imac before and he said never, so it must not be something that's too common.

All in all the experience there was good, there was a bit of a wait, but I enjoyed watching him diagnose other folks' problems so it wasn't so bad. I'm just disappointed that I'm going to have to use an older PC for the next week or two.

So I just got back from the Genius Bar. The Apple tech guy wasn't able to get any farther than I did, but said the logic board would most likely be replaced as well as the video card (at one point we got some pinstripes on the screen). So if all goes well I'll have my machine back in 5-10 business days. I asked him if he'd seen this type of problem in a g5 imac before and he said never, so it must not be something that's too common.

All in all the experience there was good, there was a bit of a wait, but I enjoyed watching him diagnose other folks' problems so it wasn't so bad. I'm just disappointed that I'm going to have to use an older PC for the next week or two.

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AppleCare is amazing in getting your computer back to you. My PowerBook left on a Monday and was back on Thursday.

I dropped my computer off on the 5th (June) and they said it'd take 5-10 business days so I called Friday to check and see what was going on. They were still waiting on the logic board to come in but it would probably be coming in Saturday. So I call back today, Monday, still waiting for the part, but the guy I talked to is confident there's a logic board for me in the delivery of parts they got today and if it is then I'd hear from them in the next day or two. We'll see....

There's one little thing that irked me though, I specifically asked the genius bar guy if it would be sitting around waiting for parts and he insisted that if they didn't have the part in stock it would be in within 24 hours. Oh well, all in all the process has been extremely smooth and a good experience.

Hey there, I'm also having similar problems (Rev A 20"). Been getting kernel panics like mad at start up. Mostly though I've been getting those pinstripes and statics during boot up. When that happens the system will just hang half way during bootup and turn into a windtunnel pretty much. I usually have to turn the comp on/off like 5 to 10 times before i can boot into OS X.
Strangely enough the crazy static, panic kernels, pinstripes happen to me during cold starts. If my computer has been on for a few hours or overnight and i reboot it, it's perfectly normal.
I've also been getting random hangups when i'm using my comp and the screen turns into pinstripes so i'd have to reboot. Been experenicing these probs for about 2 weeks now, I'll be visiting an apple store nearby soon enough (before the comp blows up on me). I currently don't have Apple Care but will be getting it for sure, it's only been 6 months and I'm having hardware problems already.
If my logic board needs replacing, maybe I'll be able to get the Rev B version with the beefed up graphics? . It will be interesting to see what happens to you Allison.
Eug

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